Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes Pandava Quintet, book #3 by Roshani Chokshi Adventure Fantasy Hindu Mythology Science Fiction Supernatural Suspense Thriller Review #1 * * Stars (Just ok) “Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes” by Roshani Chokshi follows Aru and her friends as they continue their quest to stop the Sleeper, a villain threatening to destroy the world. This time, they must find the Tree of Wishes to gain a powerful wish … Read more
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi Fantasy Psychological Science Fiction Supernatural Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) The café Funiculi Funicula allows its patrons to travel back in time. By sitting in a particular seat in the café, you follow the stories of “The Lovers, “Husband and Wife,” “The Sisters,” or “Mother and Child.” Whether they travel back to convince their husband or try to reconnect with their lover with … Read more
Iron Widow Iron Widow #1 by Xiran Jay Zhao Dystopian Fantasy LGBTQ+ Romance Science Fiction Review #1 * * * Stars (Pretty good) 18-year-old Zetian’s sister has just been killed during one of the fights against the plague of aliens that lurk outside the Great Wall. Her sister, like many others, was a concubine to a male mech pilot and her consciousness was sacrificed for the sake of the male pilot. Zetian vows to seek … Read more
Moongarden Plotting the Stars #1 by Michelle A. Barry Fantasy Science Fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) In the future, on the Moon, where humans were forced to flee when the Earth’s plants turned against them, Myra Hodger is attending boarding school. Everyone expects her to follow in the footsteps of her Number Whisperer parents, but her talents lie elsewhere. If she doesn’t discover her particular brand of magic soon (she hasn’t shown any … Read more
The Body Market Unplugged trilogy, book #2 by Donna Freitas Science Fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) Skylar makes it out of the app world and once again inhabits her body in the real world. It’s both amazing and terrifying. She discovers that her family are way more powerful and politically connected than she knew (in both the real and virtual worlds), and her sister, Jude, has orchestrated a plan to sell the bodies … Read more
Mars One by Jonathan Maberry Realistic Fiction Romance Science Fiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) Tristan and his family are part of the Mars One mission – something they signed up for as a family a long time ago. They’ll be among the first colonists to go to Mars. And when they do, they’ll be leaving Earth and all of its entanglements behind forever. Tristan will have to leave his friends, and most particularly … Read more
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Science Fiction * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) When Ryland Grace awakes from an induced coma, he finds himself aboard a spaceship, hurtling towards who knows where, on a mission to do who knows what. His two crewmates are dead, and as he recuperates from his long sleep, he slowly regains his memories. Earth is in great peril from an organism that is draining the sun’s energy, and … Read more
Flawed Flawed duology, bk #1 by Cecelia Ahern Dystopian Science Fiction Suspense Thriller * * * * Stars (Great!) Celestine North has never questioned the Guild that enforces her country’s moral/ethical code until she finds herself in the middle of an incident on a bus where her own personal sense of what’s right trumps the law. She helps an old, Flawed man, who is clearly deathly ill, and her transgressions earn her a life sentence … Read more
Scythe Arc of a Scythe, book #1 by Neal Shusterman Dystopian Science Fiction Suspense Thriller Review #1 * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) “Scythe” follows the story of 2 protagonists: Citra Terranova and Rowan Damisch. The book starts within Scythe Curie’s gleaning journal where she explains the history of their civilization and how humans became immortal and created the Scythedom – an organization of Scythes. The Scythes are trained to “glean,” which is killing … Read more
Vern: Custodian of the Universe Tyrell Waiters Adventure Graphic Novel Science Fiction * * * Stars When Vern’s prospects dry up he moves back home and his grandma immediately gets him a job as custodian at a tech company called Quasar. It’s not what he’d expected. He *does* have to clean up a lot of messes, but they seem to involve weird eyeballs creeping through spatial rifts. Vern eventually discovers that Quasar is messing with … Read more